


Family Album

by thextruth



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-15
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-17 11:21:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,236
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29470863
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thextruth/pseuds/thextruth
Summary: This story is an alternate reality with alterations in date for the sake of the plot. In a way because I don't want a Scully over 50 to have another child and because I want them to have a happy family.Mulder is an FBI agent, Scully is a doctor, they have both known each other since college, they were married in 1991 and the current story takes place in 2012
Relationships: Fox Mulder & Dana Scully, Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Comments: 10
Kudos: 41





	1. Chapter 1

  
  
  


The house is relatively calm, which is strange for a weekend with everyone at home. Scully finishes putting some muffins in the oven and looks around her, Samuel is in the living room playing video games online on the TV, she passes by him and tousles his hair a little making the little one smile at her without taking his eyes off the television. She then goes upstairs, William is locked in his room doing god knows what, she sighs and keeps walking to her bedroom but it is empty, as are the bathroom and the other two rooms.

"Mulder"

"Scully" he answers, his voice sounding distant as if locked up

"Mulder! Where are you?" she repeats going out to the corridor

"In the attic"

She walks to the back of the corridor next to Emily's room and sees the folding stairs open, she climbs carefully and sees Mulder sitting next to a pile of boxes containing old photo albums, he is holding one in his hand with a smile

“Hey Scully, take a look at this!” he says stretching his arm giving her the picture

“Mulder!”

He looks up frowning “What?”

“What are you doing?”

“Thinking we should take another picture like that and send it to the family, it was a hit the first time”

she huffs shaking her head

"What?" he says again

"Mulder, back then I wasn't even 30 years old, now I'm almost 50, it's not funny"

He stands up and walks towards her putting his hands on her waist

"Scully, it's more fun now, we are older, more experienced, it will be a nice surprise for the family. Emily and William will make fun of us for sure, but who cares?"

"I care, maybe you feel happy being the make me laugh in the family, but I'm the one who puts order here"

“Chill out a little honey, this baby will be the last one, I promise”

“Of that you can be sure” she says in a serious tone raising her right eyebrow

He laughs and kisses her softly caressing her hips

She pulls her face away and stares at him “By the way, this photo wasn’t a hit the first time”

He looks at her with shock “What are you talking about?”

“Mulder, I don’t know what are your memories exactly but my brothers laughed about it for two years straight”

“If by brothers you mean Bill, well, he has never liked my ideas, but some of them he has copied years later, assuring that they were his own occurrences"

She laughs holding him closer and resting her face on his chest “I love you my goofy husband”

He kisses her head smiling “I love you more my petite skeptic”

Downstairs the door closes and Samuel enthusiastically yells "Em" Scully smiles and pushes Mulder away softly

“It’s showtime, the whole family is here now, I'm praying they don't take this bomb badly”

Mulder kisses her again “It’s gonna be fine, you go, I'm going to accommodate this a little”

She nods and walks downstairs carefully, he looks again at the photograph that is still out of the album and puts it in the back pocket of his pants, puts the albums back where they were and closes the box walking downstairs to greet his eldest daughter

* * *

  
  


_1992_

“Mulder this is ridiculous” she says exasperated

He smiles shaking his head “I thought you loved me because I’m ridiculous”

She sighs rubbing the bridge of her nose

He gives the waiting photographer an apologetic look and moves closer to her, moving her a bit away from the photo spot.

"Honey, I thought we talked about this already, don't you think it will be something nice that we will see in 20 years and will make us smile?"

She frowns crossing her arms on her chest "I don't know why I always let myself be convinced Mulder, my brothers will laugh and surely our children will too, in 20 years"

“I like the sound of children, in the plural” he says with a smirk and she pats his arm with a giggle

He takes advantage and takes her hand "Let's do it Scully, it will be a nice surprise and a nice memory, our mothers will be fascinated with the gesture"

She sighs and nods “Fine, but make it quick”

He stands behind her, crosses his hands on her belly and whispers in her ear "You know I can make it quick without much effort"

She smiles and the photographer takes the picture

  
  


A week later when everyone gathers in the Scully house as usual every month, the topic of conversation is the famous photo that reveals the pregnancy status of little Dana

“I’m so happy Dana, our first grandchild, I can't wait to see if it will be a boy or a girl” Maggie says with excitement

Bill Smiles looking tenderly to his daughter “Congratulations again, you make us very happy"}

Scully smiles blushing taking Mulder's hand under the table, he squeezes it and gives her a smile

“The photograph will be a wonderful memory in a few years” Missy says with a wink, completely sure about whose idea it was

“I bet it was Mulder’s idea” Bill Jr. says in a mocking tone “it's like a cheesy romantic book cover, one of those no one reads”

Scully lowers her head in distress and Mulder gives her a reassuring squeeze

“Those types of novels are quite popular, so much so that even some magazines have made copies” Mulder says with a smile “Dana read several in college if I remember correctly”

She smiles shaking her head thinking about how well he knows her

“I think that comment was not very nice Bill, apologize to your sister and Fox” Maggie says in a serious tone

“I think that Danes and Mulder can do whatever they want, you are just jealous that your younger sister got married before you and now she is also going to have a child before you” 

Bill Jr hits the table with his fist and Bill Senior stands up abruptly

"Enough of you two, instead of making fun of each other, you should be happy for your sister, you should be ashamed of yourself"

Scully sighs and stands up from the table leaving everyone in silence, Mulder is going to go after her but it is Missy who follows her

She finds her in the backyard taking deep breaths to calm down

“Dana, come on, you know Bill, I think the picture is perfect”

“I told Mulder this was a bad idea”

Melissa stands in front of her frowning “What? Are you kidding me Dana?”

She shakes her head whipping some tears away

“He’s so thoughtful, think about 20 years ahead, that picture is gold!”

Scully smiles nodding “I know, I just hate Bill so much sometimes”

“Well, we all do, even dad, he is clearly upset”

Melissa smiles and draws her to her, wrapping her in a hug "I'm so happy for you, very very happy, I can't wait to be an aunt"

Scully laughs and nods “Thank you Missy, I love you”

“I love you too baby sis”

Back in the table Maggie keeps praising the picture and telling Mulder how happy she is about becoming a grandmother, he and Charlie are helping her with the dishes, both Williams are nowhere around

Scully walks away and hears them talking in the living room. His voice is calm but firm

“What's your problem with anything that comes from Mulder? W e've known him for years now, and he's proven over and over again that he loves Dana with all his heart and that he would do anything to protect her, I need you to stop behaving like a fucking teenager, because you are not”

Scully takes a deep breath and walks into the room "Dad, please, I think that's enough, it's not to overrule you, but I also thought it was a bad idea at first until Mulder made me see that it wasn't, please don't blame more to Bill, it's just a photograph"

He sighs and looks at her with love and then to his son

Bill Jr clears his throat and gives her a sad look "Sorry Dana"

She nods “Thank you Bill”

* * *

  
  


_2012_

  
  


Mulder comes downstairs and knocks on Will's door for him to come down to greet his sister

On the first floor Scully hugs her daughter with all her might "Do you want to have lunch? There are leftovers if you want"

“No mom, thanks, I already ate”

“Ok, I’m doing some muffins for later”

“You know me well” she says walking to the couch to sit next to her little brother

“Who are you plating with, Sam?”

The little boy growls and sighs "I was playing with Freddy but he just beat me"

Both women smile feeling sorry for the boy

“It’s ok buddy, you can always beat me” Mulder says coming downstairs

Emily jumps from the couch and into her father’s arms

  
“Hey there princess, it’s good to see you” he says holding her close

She pulls away smiling “How are you daddy?”

“I’m very good actually, what about you?”

The young woman tells them all about the last two weeks, about her career, her friends and about a new boy she is dating

“Just be careful, I don't want anybody to break your heart” he says frowning, Scully smiles and walks to the kitchen to take the muffins out of the oven

“Muffins ready” she says in a singing voice

Samuel screams with excitement and runs to the kitchen "Can I have one mommy?, please!"

"Wait a bit, sweetie, let them cool down"

he looks at her pouting and she hugs him giving him a kiss on the crown "have a little patience sir"

He giggles and runs again to the living room sitting on top of his dad "stop running Sam, we don't want an accident buddy, ok?"

The boy nods leaning his head on his father's shoulder

A scruffy William comes downstairs to greet his sister "Hey Em"

She turns to look at him and laughs “How far are you going to grow your hair?"

“We have been asking him the same thing for weeks now” says Scully rolling her eyes

The young man ignores them and walks to the kitchen taking one of the muffins and taking a bite

Samuel complains and Scully turns to see him "Will, they're hot"

He shrugs and gets some milk out of the fridge pouring it into a glass “I’m hungry”

Samuel tries to run into the kitchen again and Mulder stands up to stop him "Slow down, buddy"

At that moment the photograph that he had inside his back pocket falls to the ground drawing Emily's attention, the girl leans forward and picks up the photograph looking at it with a smile

"I remember this, it is the photo you used to tell the family that mom was pregnant with me"

Mulder nods and walks to the kitchen cutting a muffin in half so he can blow it to cool it and give it to the little one “Technically you don't remember because you weren't born yet”

She smiles “You know what I mean”

“I do, and I was just telling your mother what a hit it was among our mothers”

Scully shakes her head and sighs “I don’t wanna go there again, Mulder”

William sits on the arm of the couch next to his sister to look at the photo bringing Emily a muffin knowing that they were made for her "I had never seen that photo, why did you have it in your pocket, Dad?"

Scully looks at him raising an eyebrow getting a little nervous and Mulder just smiles

"I was looking through the boxes and I found it, I thought it was nice to remember, knowing that today Emily was coming to visit us" he says without being able to tell the truth

“It's a nice gesture dad, but actually you asked me to come” she says raising an eyebrow just like her mother

He looks at her and can't help but laugh "Sometimes I can't believe how much you look like your mother"

The girl blushes a little and looks at her mother who at the same time looks at her with a nodding smile "I still can't believe I had you almost 20 years ago. And how much Bill hated that photograph"

“I bet it was because you were having a baby before him”

Mulder nods “That’s what Charlie said, and you grandpa was pissed”

They all laugh for a while until Samuel takes the picture from Emily’s hand and asks “Are you pregnant again, mommy?”

Scully nearly chokes on her saliva and both older children stare at her open-mouthed waiting for an answer

She sighs and looks at them with concern "Yes, I am"

Samuel jumps off his father's legs and runs to hug his mother crossing his arms around her neck "Yeey, I won't be the youngest anymore"

Everyone laughs out loud again including Scully, who hugs her little boy tightly onto her lap "Are you happy with the news?" and it is a question addressed to her two oldest children as well

Samuel nods, William just shrugs his shoulders casually and Emily looks at her carefully, looking at her little brother too

"I thought Sam was the surprise child, I guess he wasn't"

Scully kisses his son’s head smiling “We didn't have Sam planned but we actually wanted to have more children. This one, believe me, it almost gave me a heart attack”

Emily nods half smiling “Well, congratulations dad, your fish still swim well”

William stands up from where he was sitting with a gesture of disgust saying "gross" under his breath and goes to his room, Mulder looks at his daughter shaking his head and Scully looks at her raising an eyebrow

"I can't believe you said that" and she can't help it, but letting out a laugh


	2. Chapter 2

_ 2012 _

Scully is pushed away from Morpheus' arms by a few small kisses like butterfly touches on her lower belly. She does not have to open her eyes to know that her husband is showering her in demonstrations of affection for both her and the baby, but that doesn't remedy the fact that it's Saturday and she's being woken up pretty early in the morning

“Mulder!”

“Ummm” he says continuing with his work of kissing her entire belly

“Why are you waking me up?”

She can feel his smiles on her skin “Happy Anniversary honey”

She sighs and finally opens her eyes taking one of her hands to his hair “That’s not a good reason”

He moves up to her level to kiss her lips softly “I’m sorry Scully, I know how tired you’ve been but Maggie has a busy schedule for us today”

she lets out a small growl moving towards him and catching his neck with both hands kissing him again “I could kill her”

He smiles and introduces his tongue into her mouth making her moan with pleasure, she takes the opportunity to cross one of her legs over his torso bringing their bodies together as much as possible

After several minutes kissing, she moves away a little looking into his eyes "Happy anniversary my love"

He smiles with all his teeth and kisses her forehead "you're not upset anymore"

She laughs stroking the hairs on his chest "I think your kisses more than made up for it" she leans back towards him giving him a quick peck on the lips and then leans on his shoulder “how can you love me so much after 20 years?”

He kisses her hair and sighs “You are very easy to love Scully. I should be asking you that”

“You are my best friend and confidant, loving you is a privilege, Mulder” 

He hugs her tighter towards him feeling completely blessed to have her

  
  


An hour later everyone is bathed and dressed, including both children, Emily will not come to the meeting because she is very busy at the university. The three men are in the kitchen making breakfast while Scully finishes putting on her makeup and brushing her hair. 

Before leaving the bathroom she looks at herself in the mirror turning sideways, she is wearing white shin-length pants and a dark green long-sleeved turtleneck blouse that usually fits her loosely. But her belly is already showing, in just 13 weeks everyone can tell that she is pregnant, she sighs resignedly and goes down to see how the boys are doing

  
  


The smell is delicious but it somehow manages to turn her stomach a bit. Mulder turns to look at her before she finishes coming down the stairs and sees her expression of displeasure, he tells the boys to finish and serve as he walks towards her

"Are you not feeling well, honey?"

She shakes her head and gives him a smile "I'm fine, it's just that my stomach still refuses to receive everything normally and my mouth is watering with the smell" he says with frustration "damn it"

He chuckles and caresses her belly with one hand “What do you want me to prepare you? we made pancakes but I can make you a fruit salad or something like that”

She smiles at him again and caresses his cheek "No love, it’s okay, I'll have pancakes without syrup and, maybe with some strawberry and banana slices?"

"Your order will be ready in a minute ma'am" he says giving her a kiss on the forehead and walking back to the kitchen while she takes a seat at the dining room table

Both children greet her with a kiss on the forehead just like their father does and she hugs them sideways while they put their plates on the table

"Happy anniversary mom" William says with a smile taking a seat in the chair directly opposite hers. Samuel also says it following the example of his brother

"Thank you boys, sorry to wake you up early, you know how grandma is"

Both boys nod and gobble their breakfasts hungrily, Mulder shakes his head looking at them as he puts Scully's plate in front of her 

She looks at him with a raised eyebrow "They are your children". And he laughs.

  
  


Margaret Scully greets her daughter with a big hug after hugging her two grandchildren and her son-in-law, then she takes her by the forearms to look at her closely "Heavens Dana, whoever sees you will notice right away that you are pregnant, look at your belly and your full freckled cheeks, each new pregnancy shows faster than the previous one "

Scully gives her a forced smile and nods "Thanks for reminding me mom. How are you?"

“I´m very good dear, happy anniversary”

“Thanks mom”

They walk to the living room and there’s their wedding photo is in a frame in the middle of the living room table

Scully turns to her mother with a questioning look, Margaret smiles like a proud mother “It’s your anniversary and I love that picture very much”

Mulder chuckles and takes the frame in his hands “We were so young”

Scully sighs with a smile “That was 21 years ago, our big celebration was last year, so seeing that photo in the middle of the room is a bit unexpected”

He leans closer to her smiling “Great celebration indeed”

William says "Jesus" under his breath shaking his head

Mulder smiles patting his shoulder “relax kid”

“Mom's pregnancy is already a sufficient reminder of your activities, you don't need to remind us with your honeymoons too".

Scully blushes and clears her throat 

“Mommy”

She turns to look at her youngest child with a smile “Yes, baby”

He sits on the couch and she takes a seat next to him crossing one arm behind his back stroking his red hair 

“How old were you when you married dad?”

She frowns with a smile "Why are you asking that darling?"

He rests his head on her shoulder “You look just like Em in the picture, is she getting married soon? "

Mulder laughs sitting to the other side of the child to leave him in the middle of both parents

“Don’t worry son, Emily is not getting married yet, and mom and I were older than she is”

The boy sighs and hugs her mom putting his hand on her belly, she kisses his hair

“I don't want Em to get married yet”

She smiles holding him close “To get married you have to be with someone, and your sister is single at the moment or at least she has not brought anyone home yet, and even if she were dating someone, I don't think she will decide to get married soon, she is quite independent”

Mulder nods and William rolls his eyes Scully style

Margaret smiles and takes a sit on a wing chair in front of the them, William looks at them all waiting for someone to say what they will do

“I wanted to do this last year but you guys went on the cruise” Maggie starts “and when you came back it wasn't the time, so I decided that this year I would and it is in a way my gift to Fox”

Both Mulder and Scully look at her with intrigue, even Will seems interested in what his grandmother will say, and Sam loves his Nana's stories.

  
  
  


_ 1991 _

There is a soft knock on the door and Dana wakes up and stretches in bed asking whoever is knocking to come in

“Good morning dear! How did you sleep?”

Scully smiles and sits “Morning mom, I slept like a baby”

“Really? Aren’t you nervous?” Maggie says taking a sit in bed next to her daughter

“Not nervous maybe a little anxious, I can’t wait to marry him”

Her mom smiles and kisses her forehead “Well, you won’t have to wait much” she says standing up “Breakfast is ready and the hairdresser will be here in an hour so you better go and take a shower”

Scully nods and remove all remnants of sleep from her eyes with her hands before grinning with all her teeth and running to the bathroom making her mother laugh with delight

  
  


“Oh my God Dana, you look absolutely beautiful” Maggie says with teary eyes looking to her radiant daughter dressed as a bride “I can’t believe you’re getting married before you brothers and sister”

“Well,Bill is not very happy about it” she says laughing and taking her mother’s hand in hers “Are you happy mom?”

Margaret smiles sadly “Of course I am, Fox is a wonderful man and he loves you very much, I’m sure he’s gonna make you very happy. So how can I not be happy?”

Scully looks down to their joined hands “Because I’m leaving you”

Maggie draws her to her and gives her a hug "I'm going to miss you, but then you wouldn't have gotten married, you would have left anyway"

Scully chuckles nodding “Yeah, probably”

She steps away and looks at herself in the mirror, her very light green dress that hugs her body in all the right places, with a deep neckline in the back that will not be seen much in church thanks to her long veil and the beautiful bouquet of white poppies, she can’t help but give her mother a teary smile

“You're not having second thoughts are you?”

She shakes her head blinking to keep her tears at bay “It would never cross my mind not to take this step in my life with Mulder, he makes me immensely happy and I don't think I can live apart from him for another second”

“Oh Dana!”

“I never thought much about having a family of my own until I met him,he is chivalrous, funny, intelligent, loving, caring and... very handsome”

They both chuckle and nod “He is” Maggie says

Dana shakes her head smiling "Those are not my vowes by the way"

“I know dear”

“I just love him too much and I care about him, I don't want him to be alone, I want to spend the rest of my life with him”

  
  


_ 2012 _

Mulder looks at Scully with reverence and deep love as she listens to the story without being able to stop her eyes from watering, she is already crying, and he also wants to do it but restrains himself so as not to earn a mockery from Will

Scully stands up and walks quickly to the bathroom, Maggie nods and Mulder goes after her leaving the picture frame to his son 

William takes a seat next to his brother and takes the frame from him looking at his parents, they look incredibly young and happy and he smiles

Scully closes the bathroom door and leans against it letting out a sob.She blames her out of control hormones but knows that it is actually her deep feeling of love for Mulder that makes her cry. 

A soft knock on the door alerts her to the presence of her husband, no one else would come to her at this time, so she wipes her tears and opens the door

He smiles at her and opens his arms so that she steps forward and loses herself in them. He kisses her hair and strokes her back gently “I love you so very much honey, thank you”

She sobs on his chest squeezing him tighter

“How can I be so fucking lucky?”

She chuckles moving away a bit to look at him "No bad words"

"We are alone honey, I think I can curse a little"

He sighs and leans forward catching her lips on his with tenderness “That was definitely the best anniversary gift”

She smiles on his lips nodding “That’s an excellent good memory I must say” and both laugh “But I do have a present for you. The thing is, I really don’t know how much will you be able to enjoy it” 

He frowns waiting for her to elaborate

She sighs and takes his hand leading him to the living room “Let’s go back, mom brought it here last week”

He stops her frowning deeper “So you did know she was doing this reunion”

She smiles “She’s my mother Mulder, and she knows I need time to prepare for things like this, although I didn’t know that she would tell that story”

He takes her by her waist drawing her to him again “You did save me from my loneliness Scully, and I couldn't have lived another day without you either”

she nods and kisses him again but this time with she does it deeper humming inside his mouth "I love you Mulder"

“I know”

She gently slaps him on the chest amusedly and takes his hand again walking into the living room, the package is on the table by the fireplace, she takes him to it and then walks away for him to open it

Maggie shakes her head and speaks to him from her seat “I think you’re gonna hate it Fox, I told Dana that’s...”

She is interrupted by a gasp from Mulder and a woohoo that makes Scully laugh with delight

“Scully this is fantastic, come here boys, we are going to play right now”

Both kids run to him and scream with delight “Yes daddy!”

William looks to his mother smiling “I want, no, I need a wife like you mom”

She smiles shaking her head

Mulder makes them unpack the videogames and the Play Station while he takes a small package from above the fireplace

She stares at him open-mouthed "How long has that been here?"

He smiles getting closer to her "Just a couple of days" she takes the little box in her hands and then smiles at him

"You're going to love it darling, it's a lovely gift" Maggie says to her daughter

Scully opens the small white package with light green ribbon like her wedding dress with a smile, inside she finds a necklace with a heart in white gold and small diamonds around it.

She looks at Mulder with tears in her eyes and brings a hand to her belly "Oh Mulder, it's perfect"

He smiles taking the necklace and asking her to turn around to help her put it on “You are perfect honey”

She turns again and throws her arms around his neck hiding her face in his neck

He kisses her hair smiling "That is my heart Scully, and you have taken care of it for 21 years, I want you to always carry it with you just like you carry your crucifix"

She looks at him and smiles "I'll do it honey, I love you"

"I love you more"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here you go guys, hope you like it, let me know what you think, thanks!


	3. Chapter 3

A rhythmic knock on the door announces a special guest that everyone knows, excited Samuel runs out to open the door but not before being scolded by his mother for always running inside the house, he begs for forgiveness under his breath before reaching the door and opening it wide, throwing himself into his aunt's arms

“Auntie Mel” 

She smiles and hugs him tightly lifting him a little off the ground "Are you taller?" she says giving him a kiss on the cheek

"Maybe" says the proud boy

"I bet so" she says closing the door and walking with him to the kitchen where her sister is "Hey Danes"

Scully turns to see her with a smile as she wipes her hands on the apron that has a sign on the front that says "baby on the way."

“Nice apron, Sis” Melissa says with amusement

“Shut up, Mulder’s idea” Scully says hugging her sister

Melissa touches her sister’s belly with both her hands smiling “Growing healthy” Scully nods smiling “Good, that’s good. So, where’s everybody?”

Scully sighs taking off her apron and turning off the fire “Oh Mel, Emily isn’t coming again, I think she’s hiding something”

Melissa looks at her raising an eyebrow “A boy, perhaps?”

“I’m afraid that might be the reason” Scully says serving apple juice to her sister

Samuel who is still there frowns “Mommy, you said Emily wasn’t getting married yet a few weeks ago”

Melissa laughs holding him closer to her with one arm “She might have a new boyfriend, not getting married kid”

He looks at his mother waiting for a response from her "Why don't you go play with Daddy's PlayStation, darling? We'll talk about Emily later, okay?"

The boy nods and runs to the living room completely forgetting his concern for his sister's love situation

Melissa looks at her sister with intrigue “What was that about?”

Scully sighs and takes a sit on the dining table while her sister does the same “I don’t know, he’s been worried about his sister, missing her more, maybe a little jealous, I don’t know what goes through that little head”

Melissa smiles and reaches a hand to her sister “Don’t worry about it, he has always loved Em very much, and he is at the age where he is discovering his affections for the people he cares about, for sure it will soon pass"

“I hope so” Scully says caressing her belly with both her hands “Where have you been, Mel?”

Melissa leans back in her chair with a smile "I was in Bali with some friends from the foundation"

“What? I thought you went to Nigeria?” Scully says with surprise

“Yes Dana, but then we decided to take an extra trip”

Scully shakes her head with a smile “There are not many places in the world that you have yet to visit”

“Umm, I'm still missing some, I hope I can visit all of them before my end comes"

Scully frowns "Shhh, don't say those words, I couldn't live without you and even less so now that I'll have another child. You'll be here for the birth, right?”

Melissa nods enthusiastically “I would not miss it for nothing”

Scully smiles with a sigh

“So, where are Mulder and Will?” Melissa stands up and goes to wash the glass while her sister responds

“Oh, Will had baseball practice, they have championship finals the other week and Mulder went to give the team some tips, you know how he is"

Melissa smiles drying her hands and coming closer to her sister “Oh yeah, Mulder the sports enthusiast”

Scully giggles nodding “he could have been an athlete if he had wanted”

“But he preferred to marry you and have four children” Melissa says offering her sister a hand to help her stand up "Let's see what the jealous little boy is doing"

The living room is empty and both women look around in surprise 

"Where did the earthquake go?" Melissa tells her sister

Scully shrugs and continues walking towards Mulder's study

There is no noise from the study TV and Scully is going to continue to another room when she sees the little boy tucked in a corner between some boxes that Mulder recently brought down from the attic

"Hey honey, what are you doing so quietly?"

the little boy looks at the two women and blushes "I was ... organizing"

Melissa chuckles and Scully comes closer to her son kneeling on the floor “Let me see what you found, little explorer”

The child smiles and passes the photo album to his mother, Melissa sits cross-legged next to the little boy and he leans on her shoulder "Didn't you want to play PlayStation? I thought you liked it a lot?"

He nods and the shakes his head “Yeah I do, but I like to play with daddy or Will”

“So that's why you came looking for new adventures” she says tickling his side making him scream

Meanwhile Scully is going through the album sheets shaking her head with a smile. And wondering why the hell Mulder would bring down those boxes from the attic

Melissa looks at her curiously "What are you thinking about, Danes?"

“I don’t know what’s going on with everybody and old photo albums?” she responds without taking her eyes off the pages

Melissa smiles closing her eyes and stroking the hair of the little boy who is completely laying on the side of her “Well, there are several lives told in those photographs, it is beautiful to be able to see them and remember what exactly happened in each one of them”.

Scully nods slowly rising from the floor where she was kneeling and sitting on Mulder's desk chair smiling

“What did you find?” Melissa says

“You, and me, and Mulder” she answers turning the album towards her sister for her to see

Melissa smiles nodding “I still can't believe Mulder's gift to his wife after giving birth to their first child” 

Scully laughs watching at the picture again “Mom's face was the best”

They both laugh remembering “It was a loooong night, but you were amazing”

Scully smiles sadly “I wasn’t, I was exhausted and scared”

“You were Danes, it was a normal reaction after 20 hours of agony, even before birth we already knew that Emily would be stubborn"

Scully looks down to her son smiling “Not like that little sleepyhead”

Melissa turns to see him sleeping on her side “Yeah, he was easy, almost too easy, maybe this next one will be too”

“I hope so, I really do” says Dana in agreement

* * *

_1993_

“I can’t do this anymore” she says almost screaming “make it stop”

Margaret Scully looks at her daughter with concern wanting to do something to ease her pain but unable to help her

“Shhh honey, you’re okay, the baby is okay, just breath, you can do it” Mulder says caressing her lower back

Scully is on he knees and elbows on top of the hospital bed, the entire neck and chest of her medical gown is drenched in sweat, as is her hair and forehead

“You did this to me and now your daughter doesn't want to come out and she's killing me”

Mulder looks nervously at his mother-in-law and sister-in-law, realizing that his presence makes his wife's situation worse.

He bends down to face her and be able to look at her face "Do you want me to go away for a while Scully? You seem to get worse when I'm next to you"

She raises her head to look at him with fury eyes "How dare you ask that?"

He sighs and stands looking at the other two women while stroking his forehead with one hand

Maggie gives her a sympathetic look as she approaches her daughter “why don't you change positions Dana, maybe that will help the baby drop a little more”

Dana cries in frustration lifting her elbows off the bed "That's what I've been doing for the last 12 hours, I don't know what else I should do"

“it is your body Danes, you must know what is right at this moment, let the baby help you discover it” Melissa says in a calm voice a little away from the bed

Mulder looks at his wife with anguish, if there is something he cannot bear it is to see her suffer, he sits on the bed and stretches his arms, she hides her face in his chest while sobbing, he caresses her back telling her that everything will be well, that she is the strongest woman he knows and that just thinks about the fact that she will soon have their daughter in her arms

After Scully manages to calm down, the midwife tells them to move to the bathtub so that the pain subsides a bit with the water. Dana agrees and Mulder stays with her while Maggie and Melissa leave the room and go for coffee.

After an hour in the bathtub with Mulder's caresses and words of encouragement, the baby is finally ready to come into the world, Mulder makes himself in bed behind Scully holding her legs while she pushes with all her might, after 20 hours of labor including one hour of pushing, Emily comes into the world at 3:40 a.m. on April 3, 1993

After holding his baby for a while he goes out so that both women can go in to see the new member of the Scully women's clan, he takes the opportunity to go get his gift to his car, a gift that has been stored there for more than a month

  
  


“Oh my god Dana, she’s so gorgeous” Maggie says in tears

Scully smiles with a sigh “I know, she’s perfect”

“You were so brave Danes, you did it great” Melissa says kissing her niece’s head

A few minutes later when the baby is in her cot Mulder returns to the side of his wife and daughter

"Where have you been, love?"

He pulls a bag off his back and smiles nervously at her "she was bringing this" all the women in the room smile “here, Superstars of the Superbowls”

Scully chuckles holding the video tape “How very thoughtful of you Mulder”

Maggie stares at them with her mouth open as Melissa suppresses a smile by licking her lips.

Mulder laughs and takes a sit next to her wife looking at her with such tenderness that makes Scully’s heart run faster “I can't thank you enough for making me the happiest and luckiest man in the world honey, I hope I can make it up to you with my whole life by your side”

She smile with tears in her eyes holding his hand

“For now I brought this for our baby girl, I hope she can wear it soon” he says giving her a little pink velvet box containing a white gold bracelet with the letter E in a square

“Oh Mulder, it’s just perfect” she says touching the little jewel with her index finger

“And this is for you” he says holding a thin gold chain with a small cross between his fingers "I know how important your faith is to you, and I think you should always carry it with you"

She cries and covers her mouth with one hand, Maggie does the same

He leans over to her and part her hair, putting the chain around her neck “I love you Scully” he says resting his forehead on hers

“I love you too” she says touching the little cross with her fingers

* * *

_2012_

“Earth to Dana” Melissa says snapping her fingers

Scully smiles closing the album “I’m sorry, what?”

“Where do I put the little sleepyhead”

Scully opens her mouth to answer and at that moment the door of the house opens "Honey, we are home"

She smiles “well, let Mulder take him to the couch, he's already a big boy for you to carry him” Scully tells her sister, putting the album on the desk and walking towards the entrance to greet her men

"Hi honey, how was it?"

William takes off his shoes and leaves them by the door "It was good, that championship is ours mom"

"I'm very glad, sweetheart"

He goes to the kitchen leaving his parents alone

Mulder leans in to kiss her briefly on her lips, caressing her belly with one hand "How's that little monkey in there?"

"We're fine" she says smiling "Can you come to the study to pick up your other monkey from my sister's arms?"

“Oh, Mel is here?” he asks walking to the study with Scully behind him

“Hey Mel! Good to see you”

“You too Fox. Now can you get this big jealous little guy off me?”

Mulder laughs and carries his son in his arms without any effort taking him to the living room and laying him on the sofa, Scully offers her sister a hand to help her stand up, Melissa complains as does "Uhh, I'm not old enough to spend a long time on the floor"

Scully chuckles and walks with her sister to the living room where William looks at them with a smile

“Aunt Mel” he says reaching into her arms and giving her a big hug “you finally show up, I missed you”

She smiles looking at him “Thanks honey, I missed you too. You look so handsome”

He blushes a little and nods “Thanks”

“What were you two doing?” Mulder asks with interest

“Remembering your gift after Emily's birth” Melissa says taking a sit on the arm of the sofa

Mulder frowns at his wife

"Why are those albums in your office Mulder? Sam was spellbound with all the photographs" Scully asks crossing her arms over her belly

"Ah well, I started to digitize them so they don't disappear on paper."

Everyone looks at him with surprise

"What a great idea, dad" says William sitting on the floor in front of the TV turning on the Playstation, at that moment Sam gets up and without thinking sits next to his brother and takes another control

Mulder approaches Scully and hugs her around the waist "That gift was not for me, honey"

She looks at him smiling "Oh, of course it was. That way we keep them distracted while I give you other gifts"

He licks his lips with a smile "Oh I married the smartest woman in the world" and leans in to kiss her tenderly

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You already know that this story is far from the canon of the x files, so why not give Mulder the pleasure of being the one to present the famous necklace to Scully

**Author's Note:**

> This story was intended to be a single shot. But well here we go, let me know if you want me to work on a particular photo.
> 
> No beta, all mistakes are mine.


End file.
